Never The Less
by RenaissanceGrrl
Summary: Carbon-Based Biped's prize in my contest! Yay! Everyone's in college. When Hikari needs some help in one of her classes, who offers his expertise? Jyou. And then, who knows what might happen when Takeru and Hikari break up?


DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon or any of its characters. Carbon-Based Biped just wants me to torture them. ^_^ It should also be noted that I do not own "Romeo and Juliet" or anything else by William Shakespeare, or the concept of King Arthur, but I think both have been around so long that any copyrights on them have run out. Still, better safe than sorry. Please don't sue.  
  
Authoress's Notes: Carbon-Based Biped gave me my 100th review! ^_^* He asked for a Hijyou. Sure, NOW I learn the stupid word. AFTER I post "How I Spent My Summer" as Joe+Kari because I don't know what it's called. Of course, reading that is what made him request this, so...I just can't win. ^_^* (Dang, I use that anime-smile a lot!)  
  
Oh, BTW, ages (Carbon-Based Biped wanted adults in here):  
Iori: 17  
Hikari, Takeru, and Daisuke: 20  
Miyako and Ken: 22  
Koushiro: 24  
Taichi and Sora: 25  
Yamato and Mimi: 26  
Jyou: 27  
  
  
She was tall, graceful, agile. Quite pretty. The kind of girl who was popular but not snotty about it, the Homecoming Queen that all the teachers said was the sweetest girl in class, the confidant that kept all the secrets of her roommates.  
A freshman in a really good college at twenty, studying to be a teacher--just like she had always wanted. A handsome, caring boyfriend. Lots of old friends at the same college with her and plenty of new ones.  
Just returning to college after a nice Christmas break spent with family, her boyfriend, and a lot of other friends.  
Hikari Kamiya had it all going for her.  
So even though the early January weather was a bit chilly, nothing should have upset her.  
*Should* have upset her.  
"Here's your class schedule for this semester, Miss Kamiya," the principal said, handing her a sheet of paper. "As you know, classes resume tomorrow."  
"Yes sir." Hikari took the paper and returned to the hallway before opening it. ~Basic Child Psychology, Computer Data Processing, Calculus II...what?! Classic English Lit? Shoot! There goes that A average.~  
Modern English had never been a problem for Hikari, she was quite fluent in it, but even the thought of "Olde English" made her stomach turn. Somewhere between the "thees" and "thous" and "thines" and "prithees" and "praytells", her mind made a mess of it.  
~I guess I'll have to find someone who can make heads or tails out of that jumble and trade off with them, help them in their weak subject.~  
Hikari returned to her dorm, trying to decide how she would go about it.  
  
Early that evening, around five, Hikari was sitting in the living room with her three dorm mates when the phone rang. Reiko, one of Hikari's aforementioned roommates, answered it.  
"Hey, Kari, it's for you! I think it's *Takeru*..."  
Hikari pulled herself up out of the beanbag chair she'd been sitting in and trying to word a flyer for the bulletin board at college and took the phone from her short, dark-haired friend. "Moshi, moshi?"  
"Hey, Kari-chan, it's Takeru."  
"Hi! What's up?" Hikari tucked the phone into the crook of her shoulder and hoisted herself to the kitchenette's counter using only her hands.  
"Not much, but Dai gave me a call and said some of the group is getting together at Java Jive and wanted to know if we wanted to come. I'm going, how about you?"  
Hikari glanced at the notebook, left neglected by the beanbag. She felt a little guilty about leaving it. ~But I can always do that when I get back, or even tomorrow. I don't need a study pal for a week or so yet. And, besides, I can ask around among my friends. They might be able to help me word it, or better yet, maybe one of them can help...~ "I'll come if you pick me up on your way."  
"I'll be there in ten minutes."  
"I'll be waiting."  
Takeru hung up, and Hikari followed suit. Dropping down off the counter, she walked out to the living room and picked up the notebook, taking it to the room she shared with Hana. (Reiko and Emi, the other two girls in the dorm suite, shared the other bedroom. Hikari and Hana both liked to keep the room neat, while the other two liked to leave it messy. It worked out nicely, no one's habits grated on the other's nerves.) She placed it on her desk to be used later.  
She went to her closet and rummaged through the contents, changing out of her school-ish yellow-and-pink plaid skirt and white sweater with the pink flower knitted on the front into a pair of jeans with magenta flowers embroidered at the bottom and a plain magenta turtleneck. She grabbed her small, black purse from its place on the large, shared vanity and returned to the living room.  
"Going somewhere?" Hana asked, tucking some short, curly blond locks behind her ear.  
"Takeru said some of the guys are getting together. He's coming for me in a few minutes."  
"What about that ad?" Emi reminded her. Although she was the most outgoing and fun-loving of the four, she was also the most studious and responsible.  
"I'll do it when I get back, or tomorrow."  
Emi rolled her eyes.  
The doorbell rang, and Hikari answered it. Of course, it was Takeru.  
She kissed him on the cheek. "Would you grab my jacket out of the closet while I put on my shoes?"  
"Sure." She sat on the floor, pulled on a pair of light brown hiking boots, and laced them up. She stood and Takeru put her jacket on her.  
"I'll be back in a few hours, girls!" she said.  
"Have a good time!" Reiko ordered.  
"You bet!"  
They went out to Takeru's car--a nice, sporty little aqua Honda--and got in.  
"Did you get your class list today?" Hikari asked. Takeru went to the same college, but since they had chosen different careers, they rarely had classes together and didn't run into each other much. Takeru was majoring in journalism and minoring in creative writing.  
"Yeah. You?"  
"Yeah. I have English Lit this semester. Are you any good at it? I need a study pal."  
"Not really, I don't have that until next year."  
"Darn. Looks like I'll have to advertise after all."  
"None of your roommates are any good?"  
"Emi's major is accounting, Hana's just taking two years here before she goes to medical school to be a nurse, and Reiko's major is science. So, no, they're not a lot of help."  
Takeru chuckled. "You'd think I'd know, but like I said, next year. I can't help you now."  
"Oh well."  
He pulled off and parked his car as close to the entrance as he could, then they got out and walked the short distance to Java Jive.  
Hikari liked the small coffee shop, although she didn't really care for coffee itself. They had a lot of special blends that tasted better. The shop catered to college students, having local singers and bands in to play. Yamato and his band had at one time played there a lot, before they finally signed a record deal.  
They found their group and sat down. They took up two of the booths by the wall--Hikari and Takeru, recently-engaged Ken and Miyako, Daisuke, Taichi and Sora, and Jyou. (Yamato was on tour with his band, Koushiro was at a "tech" college in another town half-an-hour away, Mimi was in college in America, and Iori was still in high school.) Hikari, Takeru, Jyou, and Daisuke were in one booth, while Ken, Miyako, Taichi, and Sora were in the other.  
"I'm surprised to see you here, Jyou," Hikari said. "I figured you'd be too busy studying."  
Jyou blinked. "School doesn't start until tomorrow."  
"Exactly!" Daisuke chimed in. "Tomorrow already!"  
Hikari sighed. She hadn't been joking, she was honestly surprised to see him.  
Jyou laughed. "Well, if you must know, I won't have as many classes this semester. I'm starting an internship at the university clinic."  
"Wow! Way to go, Jyou!" Taichi said.  
"Thanks."  
A waitress came by. Takeru ordered an espresso, and Hikari ordered a hazelnut cappuccino, one of her favorites.  
The conversation flitted from one subject to another, debates over how good the band was, school, Ken's car trouble and Tai's suggestions and offers to work on it, Ken and Miyako's wedding plans for that summer. Hikari completely forgot to ask if anyone could help her with her flyer, or even study with her. She didn't even notice that Takeru was kind of quiet.  
Finally, around ten-thirty, they decided to call it a night and get home in time to get a good night's sleep before the first day of school.  
Takeru drove Hikari home and they shared a short kiss before she got out of the car. "See you around?" she asked.  
"Yeah, sooner or later. Depends on how classes go."  
Hikari nodded. "You said it!" She shut the car door and watched Takeru's taillights disappear.  
She headed to the dorm, and went up to her third-floor apartment.  
When she got in, Hana was on the couch, watching TV. "Emi's asleep, and Jocho called Reiko. She's out with him, oughta be back soon."  
Hikari nodded, and went to the tiny kitchen. She poured herself a glass of milk and took it to the couch, plunking down beside her friend. Hana was the motherly one of the group--keeping tabs on everyone, giving advice. She was going to be a wonderful nurse.  
"Have a good time?"  
"Yeah. My friend Jyou's becoming an intern at the clinic here at the university."  
"Good for him. The world needs more doctors and nurses, you know. They've done projections, and in a few years, there's going to be a shortage of nurses. I'm glad I wanted to be one anyway, I'm afraid I'd feel terribly guilty in any other profession."  
Hikari laughed. "What made you decide to become a nurse?"  
"Oh, I part-timed for a vet when I was in junior high and high school. I enjoyed the work, changing bandages and what-not, but the vet told me I was too good with people to just work with animals, so it kind of clicked, then, and I knew. What about you, being a teacher?"  
Hikari sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I..." she opened her eyes. "I think it was when I realized that I love kids, but that I'd never really be happy just staying home, being a housewife."  
Hana nodded. "Well, I guess we ought to get to bed. Hey, was anyone able to help you with your flyer?"  
Hikari slapped herself on the forehead. "I completely forgot!" She sighed. "I guess I'd better do that before I go to sleep."  
They went in their room. Hana changed and went to bed while Hikari turned on her desk lamp and worked on the flyer. Finally she finished and went to bed.  
"NEEDED: Study pal to help with English lit course! Will help with math, history, grammar (modern English/Japanese), science, etc., in return. Call 555-6307 and ask for Hikari Kamiya."  
  
Hikari put up the flyer on the first day of classes, Wednesday, and had to take it down by Friday because it wasn't doing her any good. She didn't get many calls over the few days. One guy offered to help her in return for a date, and started quoting "Romeo and Juliet", substituting his name and Hikari's for Romeo and Juliet's. Hikari hung up on him. A few other people offered to help for money, but Hikari couldn't afford that. She decided to just tough it out and hope to scrape by with a good enough grade to at least have a B average.  
  
The next Tuesday, after her last class at college for the day, Hikari headed for a different school--a local gym that had gymnastics and dance classes. She went to dance classes on Fridays and gymnastics on Tuesdays.  
It was Hikari's way of zoning out and keeping fit. She didn't really have any friends in the classes; it allowed her to concentrate and focus fully on her routines. Not that she wanted to become a famous dancer or gymnast, but she liked having her own activity that none of her friends could butt in on, and she just plain enjoyed the lessons.  
Class went by per usual until it was Hikari's turn at the horse. Everything was fine until she tripped, falling off and landing on her left hand.  
"Itai!" she screeched.  
"Kamiya? You okay?" the teacher asked.  
"I think I strained something, Sensei," Hikari groaned. "Could someone drive me to the college clinic?"  
"The hospital's closer," another girl offered.  
Hikari nodded. "I know, but students from the University can get treatment at the clinic for free."  
A girl who'd been close to the first-aid kit handed Hikari an ice pack, which she quickly applied to her wrist.  
"Could someone who's had their turn already drive Kamiya?"  
"I can," a tall girl offered. "It's on my way, anyway."  
Hikari gratefully accepted the offer. The only thing that hurt was her hand, so she had no trouble getting to the car or getting her things, although pulling her street clothes over her leotard was a challenge.  
A few minutes later the girl dropped her off.  
"Thanks so much," Hikari said.  
"You want me to go in with you?"  
"No thanks, I'll be okay."  
"All right. You get that taken care of quick, don't miss too much class!" Hikari shared a laugh with her before she drove off. As soon as the car started to pull away, Hikari went into the clinic and went straight to the receptionist.  
"I think I strained my wrist. I fell at gymnastics."  
The receptionist had her take a seat, and within a few minutes was directing Hikari to an examination room.  
Hikari sat in there a few more minutes and waited, and soon enough the door opened.  
"Kari!"  
"Jyou!"  
Needless to say, they were both a bit surprised. It was hard to say which one was *more* surprised.  
"Well, what are the odds?" Jyou finally said. "What brings you here?"  
"Oh, I took a tumble in gymnastics." Hikari took the ice pack off her wrist, and pushed up the long sleeve of the sweater she was wearing. "Thankfully I landed on my left hand instead of my right. It won't mess up my schoolwork."  
Jyou confirmed her diagnosis of a strained wrist, wrapped it in flexible gauze, and warned her not to lift anything heavy with it until it healed, and skip a few gymnastics classes. After that, they chatted for a few minutes. "How's school?" he asked.  
"Oh, same old story, same old tune. Pretty good, challenging but not impossible...except Classic English Lit."  
"Oh?"  
"I can't make heads or tails of Olde English. I put up a flyer for a study pal, but nothing came--at least, nothing I could afford."  
"Study pal?"  
"You know, they help me with English Lit, I help them with their weak subject--but they all wanted money." She decided not to mention the Romeo-and-Juliet moron.  
"Oh...well, I could help you."  
"What?"  
"Well, I mean, I don't need any help, and I don't want money, but I could help you."  
Hikari blinked. "Really? You'd do that?"  
Jyou shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"  
Hikari squealed, and hugged him. She blinked, and let go quickly. "When are you free?"  
There was a trace of color in his cheeks, although Hikari wasn't sure why. "Uh...well, when do you have the class?"  
"Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from three to four."  
"Do you have a class right after that?"  
"No."  
"Then why don't I meet you in the library right after that class every time you have it, so I can help while the teacher's explanations are still fresh in your mind?"  
Hikari thought for a moment. "Sure, that'd be great!"  
"So I'll see you tomorrow at four, in the library?"  
"Great. You don't have a clue as to how much you're helping me, Jyou. Thanks so much! See you there!"  
  
And see him she did, the very next day at four.  
"Okay, let's see what you've got here," Jyou said.  
Hikari handed him her textbook. "I think we'd be off to a good start if I just understood these stupid words."  
"Which stupid words?"  
"Thee, thou, thine...I know them when I hear them but every time I go to make up a sentence with them I screw it up."  
Jyou nodded. "Okay. You just deal with them like modern English words. You learn them one at a time. Have any blank paper?"  
She handed him a notebook. He went to the first blank page and wrote a list of old-fashioned words.  
"Now, how many of these can you define for me?" he asked.  
She glanced over the list. "'Thee' and 'thou' both mean 'you'."  
"Yes, but do you know when to use each one?"  
"Not a clue."  
"Okay. It's like this. 'Thou' is used as a subject, and 'thee' is a direct or indirect object, or the object of a preposition."  
Hikari tilted her head. "It's that simple?"  
Jyou nodded. "'Fraid so. Now, make up a sentence in modern English using the word 'you' and translate it into Olde English."  
Hikari thought for a moment. "'You would love that movie, it's funny'...that would be...'Thou would love'..."  
"Right! Well, it'd be 'thou wouldst', but we'll get to that in a minute. Now, try this. 'I'll rent that movie for you.'"  
"'I'll rent that movie for thee,'" Hikari said quickly, barely pausing to think this time.  
"Good. Now, tell me what 'prithee' means."  
"I don't know."  
"Okay. It means 'I pray thee'. Now, do you know what that is?"  
Hikari shook her head.  
"'I pray thee' means something like 'I wish you would' or 'Would you...?'."  
"So...prithee, please go on with this, it's getting interesting."  
"Yeah. Exactly. These next two are considered old-fashioned, but they're still used quite a lot. 'Nevertheless' and 'nonetheless'."  
"I know that one! They mean 'anyway' or 'in spite of'. As in, 'He knew that his wish could never come true, but he wished it nevertheless.'"  
"Right."  
"You know what, though? I always thought those were silly meanings."  
"Huh?"  
"Wouldn't it be more romantic if they meant 'never decreasing', as in 'never any less'? Like...'he promised to love her never the less.'"  
"Oh, you mean not like he promised to love her in spite of stuff, but he promised to always love her as much as he did right then?"  
"Yeah. Now, isn't that more romantic?"  
Jyou thought for a moment. "Yeah, that would be, but that's beside the point."  
Hikari blushed, and nodded. "Okay, let's go on..."  
  
That Saturday night, Takeru called and asked Hikari if she'd like to go out.  
"Anyone else going?"  
"No, no, Kari-chan, just the two of us."  
Hikari smiled. "Okay. Where are we going? What do I need to wear?"  
"We're not going anywhere special...but...wear something warm, okay? I'll be there in about an hour."  
"Okay."  
Hikari chose a black pair of jeans and a pale yellow polarfleece shirt with white snowflakes embroidered around the neckline and sleeves. She slipped on a pair of sneakers.  
He was early, a bit unusual for him. They left the dorm and went down to the car.  
Takeru refused to tell her where they were going. She relentlessly tried to pry it out of him, but he managed to keep his secret.  
Hikari thought something was off. Normally, he would be laughing and teasing her about it, but tonight he was serious.  
Finally they got out of the car. They were at the park.  
"Takeru?"  
"I...I just want to take a walk with you, and I couldn't think of a more romantic, more deserted place."  
He took her hand. A breeze nipped at her long coat as they moved along the stone pathway through the park.  
"So, what's this about?" she asked.  
"What do you mean, Hikari?"  
"You've...just been quiet lately. That's all. Is there a problem?"  
He avoided her gaze and said nothing.  
"Takeru?"  
Again, nothing.  
"Takeru."  
Finally, he stopped, and turned to face her.  
"Hikari...I don't know how to tell you this..."  
"What? Tell me what?"  
He looked up at the sky, then brought his gaze back to her face. "Hikari...I...I...I don't feel about you the way I think you feel about me."  
"What?" Hikari frowned. "I love you..."  
"I know, that's exactly what I mean. I mean, I don't hate you or dislike you, but the way I feel about you is more like a best friend. I don't love you."  
Hikari blinked back tears. "But...Takeru..."  
"I'm sorry it had to happen like this. I thought I loved you, I honestly did. In fact, that's what made me realize...Hikari, I went to a jeweler two weeks ago and picked out a ring. I had the clerk take it out so I could look at it and everything. And then I just got to picturing what it would be like to be married to you, and...I couldn't see it. I could see us having fun together and everything, like we do now, but I couldn't see us together. And I realized that we're not...meant...to be together..."  
Hikari was crying softly.  
He wondered why she couldn't have slapped him, or be sobbing noisily, or have run off. Anything but just stand there in his arms and let tears slide down her cheeks.  
"I...I still want to be friends, Hikari. I...you *are* my best friend. Ever since we were little. I've never been this close to anyone. Not Dai, not Iori, not even Yamato. I think that might be the problem--we're too close. It'd be like being married to my sister."  
Hikari continued crying.  
"Please don't cry...you're not losing me...we're just going through a change..."  
Finally she spoke. "I understand that, Takeru. Everything you're saying makes sense. I...I just need to...it just hasn't sunk in. I'll call you when I get my emotions settled. Go on, I'll get a cab."  
Takeru nodded. He kissed her cheek, released her from his arms, and started to walk away, leaving her there, crying. He paused, and turned around as an afterthought. "Just out of curiosity, what would you have said?"  
Hikari wiped away a tear clumsily due to a glove, and looked up at him. "I...I...I think I would have said that I didn't feel ready to answer you either way."  
He inhaled a breath in shock, but said nothing. He turned again and walked away, back toward his car. After a minutes, he broke into a run.  
Hikari watched his back, until he disappeared around his corner.  
Everything had changed.  
She had tried to picture them married, several times. She had been able to see it just fine...The wedding, at least. The marriage itself always *was* a little sketchy.  
She sat on a nearby bench and let the tears fall until there were no more. Then she sat and tried to let her thoughts settle.  
The same things kept running through her head. ~Why? How did we not notice before? How could we have been so blind? Did I really love him? Doesn't seem like it...~  
Finally she shook her head, abandoning all attempts at logically sorting out something so illogical. She left the park, stood on the street corner, and hailed a taxi home.  
  
Even Jyou picked up on the acute difference in her demeanor on Monday after English Lit.  
"What's the matter?"  
Hikari blushed. "No...no matter."  
"I hate to accuse a lady, but you're lying." Jyou leaned back in his chair, pushing it so he was only using two legs of it, breaking the age-old unbreakable rule.  
Hikari frowned. "Nothing, really. Just...just some stressful stuff going on...nothing worth mentioning."  
"It has to do with Takeru, huh?"  
"No!...I...uh, well...yeah."  
"What happened?"  
"We...we broke up."  
Jyou's eyes widened. "Oh...I...I'm sorry. I...I had no idea..."  
"Neither did I," Hikari said, slumping into a chair and plopping her textbook on the table. "It was kind of sudden. But...I think he was right. We're too close to ever get married, we're more like best friends. I...I haven't talked to him since. I said I didn't want to until I got my feelings sorted out. I think I'll probably call him later...oh, Jyou!"  
He had outstretched an arm to put a hand on her shoulder, but she flung herself towards him and turned it into a hug.  
Jyou blinked, a rather shocked expression on his face, as she cried into his shoulder.  
"Uh...Kari...Hikari..."  
Hikari pulled out of his embrace, blushing, and quickly wiped her eyes. "I...I'm sorry. That was..."  
"No, no. You just kind of caught me off guard. It's okay, really. That's what friends are for."  
"Thanks. Um...maybe we should...you know, get on with my homework..."  
"Uh, right. What's today's assignment?"  
"We're going to study 'Romeo and Juliet', ironically enough..."  
  
Hikari did call Takeru that night, and they had a long talk. They agreed that they wanted to still be friends, and that they were going to be happy for one another when they fell in love again, and that there were no hard feelings.  
"And you're okay with all this, Hikari?" he asked.  
"Yeah...I mean, it'll probably be a while before I feel like having another boyfriend, but I'm okay. I'm not going to miss you, because we're still friends."  
"Right."  
Hikari could hear the smile in his voice.  
They planned a get-together with the group for the next night, and Hikari was happy to discover that she could be around Takeru and still have fun and not constantly be thinking about what had happened before. She was okay with being his best friend.  
  
A few days later, Hikari was sitting in the library with Jyou again, studying "Romeo and Juliet".  
"So you have to memorize part of it?" he asked.  
"Yeah...Act II, Scene II."  
Jyou's eyes lit up. "Oh! The balcony scene! It's no wonder that your teacher chose it; it's a classic piece, probably the most famous part of the play."  
Hikari tilted her head. "Okay, then, let's read it and get started."  
"There's only three characters, and the nurse barely even counts. I'll say her lines and Romeo's, you read for Juliet."  
"Okay."  
"Here, you take the book, I have the scene memorized already. Tell me if I screw up."  
Hikari sighed. "I hope it isn't hard..."  
"Well, comparatively, it's not that long, and as much as you like romance, it shouldn't be that hard. Don't read the actions, but note where they are, they'll be important if you have to write this out. Now, like I said, tell me if I screw up. 'He jests at scars that never felt a wound. But soft! what light through yonder window breaks?..."  
  
A few weeks passed. Hikari returned to gymnastics class, and continued studying with Jyou. She was getting to the point where she almost didn't need his help, but he said he'd keep on as long as she wanted because he was enjoying almost as much as she was. She told him that she'd like to keep studying with him at least until her first major test--which was coming up.  
"What kind of test is it?"  
Hikari sighed. "My teacher likes to shake things up...there'll be a few multiple choice questions, we'll be required to write out the balcony scene that we've memorized, and probably a fairly tough essay question."  
Jyou chuckled. "Sounds like it'll probably be harder on your poor hand than your mind, with all that writing."  
"Yeah...but, I do have the scene memorized. You were right, it is romantic."  
Jyou smiled. "So, anything we need to go over?"  
Hikari stood and placed her books into her bookbag. "I think that's all for today. Thanks, Jyou!"  
"No problem. See you Friday?"  
"Yeah...and if we can, I want to put in a little extra time. The test is Monday."  
"Sure...and, hey, tell you what. If you make an A on that test, we'll go out for pizza...my treat."  
Hikari blinked, then smiled. "Sure!"  
  
On Friday, Jyou made her recite the entire scene all the way through--twice. Then he quizzed her about the meanings and usages of words, and had her analyzing the lines, even going a bit into what the characters might have been thinking. After about an hour-and-a-half, they fell into discussing it the play in and of itself.  
"What I never knew before--the thing that isn't popularized--is that Romeo dumps some other girl for Juliet," Hikari told Jyou. "Things back then are kind of like they are now."  
Jyou laughed. "Amazing, isn't it? Of course, he didn't have much choice other than to dump Rosaline. Remember, she took a vow to never marry."  
"I know...but that was kind of silly of her, I think."  
"Well, yeah, you might think so, but ask your average nun and see what she says about it."  
Hikari giggled. "I didn't think of that. The other thing that was weird is that at the beginning, the nurse says that Juliet's about two weeks away from turning fourteen."  
"Yeah? It was common to marry that young back then, even younger, as young as eleven or twelve. Remember, even Lady Capulet says 'I was your mother much upon these years that you are now a maid.'"  
"Meaning that she had been a mother for quite a while when she was Juliet's age." Hikari shook her head.  
"Right. She was probably eleven or so when she got married. That would mean that she's only twenty-five in the play."  
Hikari sweatdropped. "That's a scary thought."  
"So, do you think you'll be able to handle the test?"  
"I think I'll pass. I hope I get an A--I'm looking forward to pizza."  
Jyou smiled, and put his hand over hers. "I am, too," he said.  
She blushed.  
He realized what he was doing. "Aheh...I...need to go...homework, you know..." He stood, and removed his hand. He put on his coat and left.  
She sat, watching him make his way out of the library.  
~Now what was that all about?~  
  
Monday at four, everyone in the English Lit class left their test on the teacher's desk.  
"Now remember," Mr. Hashi, the teacher, was saying, "Anyone who wants to know their grade today, come back in roughly two hours, and you can have your test back. Everyone else will have to wait until Wednesday!"  
Hikari met Jyou at the library per usual, and they discussed how the test went, trying to kill the two hours.  
"I'm really nervous. I mean, I think I did okay, but anything less than a B+ is going to throw off my grade average."  
"I'm sure you did fine. Was there anything where you weren't fairly sure of the answer?"  
"Not really, but tests just make me nervous. I hope I understood all the questions correctly."  
Jyou smiled. "I'm sure you did just fine. You had the scene down word for word, that's probably going to mean bonus points."  
Hikari sighed. "I hope you're right. I'm just glad it's over." She checked her watch. "Hey, it's a quarter 'til, we might as well start heading that way."  
Jyou stood and pulled out her chair. "After you, M'Lady."  
She giggled. "Thank you, fair knight..."  
Jyou loosely took her arm, and they walked leisurely to her classroom. Mr. Hashi heard them in the hallway and invited them in.  
"Ah, Kamiya. Nice to know you're concerned about your grades. She studies so hard, you know," he told Jyou.  
Jyou just smiled and nodded.  
"Now...let me see...I know I graded yours, Kamiya. Ah! Here it is. Here you go."  
"Thank you, Sensei," Hikari said, taking her test. They bowed and left.  
Jyou raised an eyebrow out in the hallway. "Well?" he asked, expectantly.  
She held her breath and unfolded the paper. She looked at it carefully, giving herself a few second for it to sink in.  
Then she squealed. "It's an A!"  
"All right, Kari!" Jyou exclaimed, and hugged her.  
It caught Hikari off guard, but she really didn't care. She had just gotten an A in her worst subject. All her hard work had paid off.  
And not just in the long-term goal of getting a good job.  
Jyou let go of her and took her hand. "Ready for that pizza?"  
"Can we get it with pineapples?" Hikari giggled.  
"Whatever you want."  
  
Hikari nibbled at a slice of her pineapple pizza, basking in the great feeling of triumph.  
"You could take actual bites, you know," Jyou reminded her.  
"I know. I just want this feeling to last as long as possible."  
Jyou pushed up his glasses. "You'll still have the A after I leave."  
Hikari blinked. She hadn't meant for it to sound like that. "Oh, I didn't mean--well, maybe I did mean--um...nevermind." She took a big bite from her pizza, blushing.  
  
Late that night, Hikari lay in bed thinking about the day's events. Of course, the A was still prominent in her mind. But even more so was her misformulated thought expressed at the pizza parlor.  
~That was so embarrassing!~ she thought. ~Could my timing have been any worse? I think I'd be a little less embarrassed if I *did* care about Jyou and had flubbed up like that. But I don't, and I implied that I did.~  
Hikari rolled over on her side and tried to sleep. But then the day that she had hugged Jyou, after the breakup, and when he had touched her hand, and hugged her, all the little things began to pop into her head.  
~Why is this significant now? Just because I said the wrong thing and have my mind on crushes, now I have to think that everyone has one. Even think that Jyou has one on me. But what if her does? I mean, he did act all embarrassed when he realized he was touching my hand. And he *did* hug me today. And he's the one that started me thinking like this, bringing my accidental implication to my attention.~  
She rolled over onto her other side and reached out for her clock radio. She fumbled in the dark and managed to turn the radio on softly. She twisted the dial until she found a station playing classical music. Of course, it would be a piece that she knew to be one of Jyou's favorites.  
"And that was 'Concerto for Flute', written by Vivaldi, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra..."  
All sorts of feelings surged within her, some she couldn't put a finger on. Was she just missing Takeru? Was she worried that she'd have to let Jyou down? Could she possibly like Jyou?  
Hikari sighed. She was just going to have to talk to Jyou, that's all there was to it.  
  
On Wednesday, Hikari entered the library, and Jyou was waiting for her. She set her stuff on the table.  
"Hi, Kari," Jyou said, and reached for her book.  
She put her hand down on it to stop him from taking it. "Can that wait for a few minutes, Jyou? I have something I want to talk to you about."  
"Uh. sure. Sit down."  
She did, turning the chair to face him. He followed suit.  
"Um...Jyou...yesterday, at the pizza parlor..."  
"Is this about what I said about you still having the A after I left? I'm sorry. I'm sure that sounded conceited, I didn't mean--"  
"No, no. I'm not upset...I was just wondering...if you thought that I meant..."  
"Oh! Oh, no, no, not at all, I just...I spoke without thinking. If I had thought that remark over I never would have implied that you--that I meant--that I felt--"  
Hikari blushed. "So--so you don't--"  
Jyou blushed as well, and hung his head, smiling softly, rolling his eyes. "We're just confusing ourselves. Let's just say nothing was intentionally implied, and all is forgiven, okay?"  
Hikari nodded. "Okay. Um...well, my next assignment is an essay on a book about King Arthur..."  
  
That Friday night, Hikari got a call from Miyako who said that the group was getting together at Java Jive again. Hikari had finished her homework for the day, so she quickly agreed. She tagged along with Miyako and Ken in Ken's car.  
The group was all there when they arrived. They sat in their regular two booths. Miyako and Ken settled in with Daisuke and Takeru, and Hikari sat across from her brother and Sora--next to Jyou.  
As usual, chit-chat and coffee filled a few hours. Takeru left first, complaining about a major test coming up in his history class on Monday, and that he shouldn't have even come. Next, Miyako said she was getting tired.  
Ken shrugged. "If Hikari doesn't mind..."  
Hikari blinked. "Actually, you two go on. I'm sure someone else will drive me, or I have money for a cab..."  
"I'll drive you," Jyou offered.  
"Thanks," Hikari said, smiling.  
Ken and Miyako left, and the rest of them crowded into one booth. Sora tried sitting in Tai's lap, but it was too tight a squeeze, so Daisuke dragged a chair from one of the free-standing tables to the end of the booth and sat for a little while, until he, too, had to leave.  
A little while later Jyou asked Hikari if she minded leaving; he had a shift at the clinic the next day and he wanted to go home and get some sleep.  
"No, not at all. I'm ready."  
"See you two around," Jyou offered to Taichi and Sora.  
"Yeah, Jyou, see ya," Taichi said.  
Sora smiled. "Yeah, bye."  
Jyou helped Hikari put on her jacket and led her to his car. A few minutes later, when he parked in front of the dormitory, Hikari smiled. "Thanks for the ride, Jyou."  
He had gotten out to open her door for her. "No problem...I, uh, kinda wanted to talk to you anyway."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah...is there someplace we can talk?"  
"Uh, sure...there's a tiny little courtyard in front of the dorm, there's a little bench there and what-not..." She led him toward the building, to a bench next to the brick walls.  
"So, you wanted to talk...?" she prompted.  
Jyou blushed, but Hikari couldn't see by the light of the lamp all the way down by the street. "Yeah...remember on Wednesday, when we decided to drop the subject of the pizza parlor?"  
Hikari sighed. He was probably going to apologize again. "Yes, I remember."  
"Well...I...I lied."  
"Huh?"  
"I said nothing was intentionally implied...and that's true, I didn't consciously decide to imply anything...but maybe, in my subconscious, I did, because I don't like to keep secrets...so, that was my subconscious way of prompting me to tell you...but I still didn't tell you, and it's driving me insane..."  
"What is? What's driving you insane? Secrets? Telling me? What's up, Jyou?"  
"Well...Hikari...I...I...I care about you. More than just as friends. I...I love you."  
Hikari gasped. "What?"  
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I mean, at first, I couldn't, there was Takeru and all...and then I held back because you were hurting...I mean, I tried to comfort you, but I wasn't sure if you were ready yet, I couldn't make a move..."  
"Stop, stop, stop. Back up. To right after I said 'What's up, Jyou?'."  
"I love you," Jyou said, a hurt look threatening at the back of his eyes. "I know, it's still probably too soon..."  
Hikari blushed, finally making sense of her odd feelings. "No, no...it's okay. Really, Jyou...'cause...I...I love you too..."  
"What? Really? Really, you do?"  
Hikari smiled. "I didn't realize...but I do...and...and I suspected about you...but...but I never thought that..."  
He placed a finger over her lips. "Shh." He stroked his finger over her cheek, holding her face in his hand, and pressed his lips to hers.  
Hikari allowed herself to get caught up in the moment, in the kiss. There was no place else she wanted to be, no one else she wanted to be with. All she could think of was Jyou and herself in that particular moment at that particular place.  
Reluctantly, they finally broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you, Hikari-chan..."  
She smiled. "I love you, too, Jyou-chan..."  
"I'll always love you...never the less..."  
  
  
Romeo: O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?  
Juliet: What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?  
Romeo: The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.  
Juliet: I gave thee mine before thou didst request it:  
And yet I would it were to give again.  
Romeo: Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose, love?  
Juliet: But to be frank, and give it thee again.  
And yet I wish for but the thing I have:  
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,  
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,  
The more I have, for both are infinite.  
~~William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet"  
  
  
A/N: This was one of those rare stories where the title came to me first and the story stemmed from it. (And I do mean rare, most of my stories don't even *have* a title until I get to the upload for at FFN. Out of all the ones I've posted, only six had a title before that...and one was named after the song in it so it doesn't count.) I was getting ready to sit down with a bit of Shakespeare, and I got to thinking about what Hikari mentions to Jyou about the word's non-romantic meaning, and it just kind of popped into my head.  
I really hope you liked it, Carbon. Thanks again for my 100th review! 


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